Toto Wolff admits Kimi Antonelli 'mistake' at Mercedes

Toto Wolff admitted to making a ‘mistake’ when he initiated Kimi Antonelli’s entry into the Mercedes F1 team.

Antonelli made his F1 debut during FP1 at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix, with his first appearance shrouded in significant hype, labelled as the ‘next Max Verstappen’ and the racing wonderkid.

However, the session barely started before the Italian lost the car at Parabolica and crashed, but nonetheless has received support from the Mercedes team and Wolff.

Speaking during Friday’s team principal press conference at the Dutch Grand Prix, Wolff admitted that presenting Antonelli at Monza was a ‘mistake’.

“I think we have put Kimi under maximum pressure, to be honest,” Wolff said.

“Looking at it now, I felt it was a great idea to have him in FP1 in Monza and present him there. That was maybe a mistake – not because he wasn’t capable of driving the car, because if he would have finished that lap without crashing, it would have been sensational and it would have built the confidence.

“That’s why. He’s in a Mercedes, he’s very visible, his results are very visible, his team-mate is great and is maximising the car. Therefore, he feels himself under the magnifying glass.”

Wolff confirms Antonelli's future

Antonelli does not have a deal with Mercedes for the 2026 season, and his form of late has led some to question his early promotion.

Since his lap one crash into Max Verstappen at the Austrian GP, Antonelli has been plagued by early qualifying exits and mistakes that have prevented him from scoring points.

Antonelli’s lack of experience has emerged as a concern, but Wolff retains faith in his driver and has assured the media that the youngster is a ‘long-term investment’ for the team.

“The team – we just continue to believe in him. He needs time," Wolff continued.

"We’ve embarked on this route, so you can say, ‘Was it right to put him under so much pressure by putting him in the team?’

“We’ve taken that trajectory; we’ve taken that route. We are fully on the mission, and single race weekends or a session like we had before is not going to change our opinion. Yeah, short term, we’re going to say, “that’s not good,” but Kimi is a long-term investment.”

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